TOKYO, May 14 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co on
Thursday recalled close to 5 million vehicles fitted with
potentially faulty Takata Corp air bag inflators, as
investigations showed the problem behind one of the biggest auto
safety crises may be more widespread than thought.

The latest move by Japan's third largest automaker brings
the overall global total of vehicles recalled for Takata-related
air bags to around 36 million since 2008, and comes a day after
Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co recalled
6.5 million vehicles worldwide.

Daihatsu Motors Co Ltd said it recalled nearly
260,000 cars.

Honda said it decided to recall the cars after finding some
Takata bag inflators were not sealed properly, allowing moisture
to seep into the propellent casing that could make the air bag
explode with excessive force, shooting shrapnel inside the
vehicle.

Six deaths have been linked to defective air bags, all on
cars made by Honda, which has borne the brunt of the Takata
recalls to date, and which posted disappointing profit forecasts
last month citing high quality-related costs.
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